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China's National Defense in 2004
Updated: 2004-12-28 09:52
Chapter II National Defense Policy
China persists in taking the road of peaceful development and unswervingly
pursues a national defense policy defensive in nature, China's national defense
is the security guarantee for the survival and development of the nation. The
main tasks of China's national defense are to step up modernization of its
national defense and its armed forces, to safeguard national security and unity,
and to ensure the smooth process of building a moderately prosperous society in
an all-round way.
Proceeding from the fundamental interests of the country, China's national
defense policy is both subordinated to and in service of the country's
development and security strategies. Firmly seizing and taking full advantage of
the important strategic opportunities presented in the first two decades of this
century, China sticks to keeping its development in pace with its security and
makes great efforts to enhance its national strategic capabilities by using
multiple security means to cope with both traditional and non-traditional
security threats so as to seek a comprehensive national security in the
political, economic, military and social areas.
China's basic goals and tasks in maintaining national security are:
* To stop separation and promote reunification, guard against and resist
aggression, and defend national sovereignty, territorial integrity and maritime
rights and interests.
* To safeguard the interests of national development, promote economic and
social development in an all-round, coordinated and sustainable way and steadily
increase the overall national strength.
* To modernize China's national defense in line with both the national
conditions of China and the trend of military development in the world by
adhering to the policy of coordinating military and economic development, and
improve the operational capabilities of self-defense under the conditions of
informationalization.
* To safeguard the political, economic and cultural rights and interests of
the Chinese people, crack down on criminal activities of all sorts and maintain
public order and social stability.
* To pursue an independent foreign policy of peace and adhere to the new
security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and
coordination with a view to securing a long-term and favorable international and
surrounding environment.
It is the sacred responsibility of the Chinese armed forces to stop the
"Taiwan independence" forces from splitting the country. The Chinese government
continues to adhere to the basic principles of "peaceful reunification" and "one
country, two systems" along with the eight-point proposal on developing
cross-Straits relations and advancing the process of peaceful reunification of
the motherland at the current stage. So long as the Taiwan authorities accept
the one China principle and stop their separatist activities aimed at "Taiwan
independence," cross-Straits talks can be held at any time on officially ending
the state of hostility between the two sides, including on the establishment of
a confidence-building mechanism in the military field. The Chinese people are
resolutely opposed to all separatist activities in whatever manifestation aimed
at "Taiwan independence," to foreign interference of any form, and to arms sales
to Taiwan or entrance to military alliance of any form with Taiwan by any
country in the world. We will never allow anyone to split Taiwan from China
through whatever means. Should the Taiwan authorities go so far as to make a
reckless attempt that constitutes a major incident of "Taiwan independence," the
Chinese people and armed forces will resolutely and thoroughly crush it at any
cost.
To adapt itself to the changes both in the international strategic situation
and the national security environment and rise to the challenges presented by
the RMA worldwide, China adheres to the military strategy of active defense and
works to speed up the RMA with Chinese characteristics.
* To take the road of composite and leapfrog development. Going with the tide
of the world's military development and moving along the direction of
informationalization in the process of modernization, the People's Liberation
Army (PLA) shall gradually achieve the transition from mechanization and
semi-mechanization to informationalization. Based on China's national conditions
and the PLA's own conditions, the PLA persists in taking mechanization as the
foundation to promote informationalization, and informationalization as the
driving force to bring forward mechanization. The PLA will promote coordinated
development of firepower, mobility and information capability, enhance the
development of its operational strength with priority given to the Navy, Air
Force and Second Artillery Force, and strengthen its comprehensive deterrence
and warfighting capabilities.
* To build a strong military by means of science and technology. The PLA
works to improve its combat capabilities by taking advantage of scientific and
technological advances and aims at building qualitative efficiency instead of a
mere quantitative scale, and transforming the military from a manpower-intensive
one to a technology-intensive one. Implementing the Strategic Project for
Talented People, the PLA focuses on training a new type of high-caliber military
personnel. It works to build up a complete system of weaponry and equipment by
stepping up development of new-and high-tech weaponry and equipment while
upgrading those in active service. In an innovative spirit, the PLA endeavors to
improve its training system as well as the means and methods of training so as
to raise its military training to a higher level. Relying on national economic,
scientific and technological development, the PLA is devoted to improving the
level of scientific management and achieving a higher overall cost-effectiveness
in military expenditure so as to modernize the armed forces with less input and
better results.
* To deepen the reform of the armed forces. Based on the transformation of
modern warfare and the requirements of the socialist market economy, the PLA
seeks to achieve development and breakthroughs in the process of reform and
innovation. The PLA develops its military theories in an innovative spirit, and
explores the laws of building the army and conducting operations under the
condition of informationalization. In accordance with the principle of making
the troops smaller and better, as well as more integrated and efficient, and
with emphasis on adjusting the organizational structure and reforming the
command system, the PLA works to build and further improve the military
structure and organization to make them appropriate in size, optimal in
structure, streamlined in institutional set-up and flexible and swift in
command. The PLA also works to readjust and regulate the relationship within the
military as well as that with the government and society so as to put in place
policies and mechanisms which will help motivate officers and soldiers.
* To step up preparations for military struggle. The PLA takes as its
objective to win local wars under the conditions of informationalization and
gives priority to developing weaponry and equipment, to building joint
operational capabilities, and to making full preparations in the battlefields.
Meanwhile, it adheres to the people's war concept and develops the strategies
and tactics of the people's war. To meet the requirements of integrated and
joint operations, the PLA endeavors to establish a modern operational system
capable of giving full play to the overall efficiency of the armed forces as
well as the national war potentials. The PLA conducts more training and
exercises with specific objectives in order to raise its capabilities in coping
with various crises and contingencies.
* To carry out military exchanges and cooperation. In line with the national
foreign policy, the PLA conducts military cooperation that is non-aligned,
non-confrontational and not directed against any third party. The PLA takes part
in the UN peacekeeping operations and international counter-terrorism
cooperation. While promoting military exchanges in various forms, the PLA works
to establish security dialogue mechanisms in order to create a military security
environment featuring mutual trust and mutual benefit. It takes part in
bilateral or multilateral joint military exercises in non-traditional security
fields so as to enhance the joint capabilities to cope with threats in those
fields. The PLA learns from and draws on the valuable experience of foreign
armed forces, and introduces, on a selective basis, technologically advanced
equipment and better management expertise from abroad to advance the
modernization of the Chinese armed forces.
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